In the required reading category for all humans, the 5th IPCC (Intergovenmental Panel on Climate Change) report, Climate Change 2013 – The Physical Science Basis, now uses the unambiguous term “unequivocal” when describing global warming. I don’t think there is a more robust “canary in the coal mine” warning for us to take action upon (forgive the tortured pun).

“Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and since the 1950s, many of the observed changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia. The atmosphere and ocean have warmed, the amounts of snow and ice have diminished, sea level has risen, and the concentrations of greenhouse gases have increased.”

Opportunities to reinvent our economic system to support the next phase of our existence in a sustainable fashion are exciting to anyone who loves innovation, value creation, economic growth, and well being. However, policy needs to level the playing field so we get there faster with less unnecessary friction.

The Summary is available now on the IPCC site –IPCC The full report will be available on September 30, 2013. All legislators should read this document to be informed when debating policy.

According to Reuters today, Yahoo! is acquiring Tumblr in a deal valued at $1.1 billion. CEO Marissa Mayer continues to drive to make Yahoo more relevant to a younger audience and is not afraid to use acquisitions. Interestingly, it’s an all cash deal, which means that Yahoo! is valuing its stock more than its cash at this point.

Also, if Tumblr’s revenue is about $13M, then that’s about 85 times revenue, a princely sum indeed. Yahoo! has to believe the traffic and the social media hole plugging will be well worth it. These are the kinds of transactions that are the exception to the everyday M&A world but serve as an example of what a motivated buyer will do to reform or defend its business.

The ACA voiced support for pending legislation in the House and Senate to make it easier for entrepreneurs to raise early stage capital. They put their position in a good context with angel financing which is the ACA’s focus as the national association of angel capital groups. The ACA also mentioned the need for coordinated legislation with crowdfunding for angel capital (re: S. 256). See the ACA’s public statement below:

Public Statement on Crowdfunding Legislation
December 5, 2011
The Angel Capital Association (ACA) wishes to provide our support for the concept of crowdfunding, currently addressed in H.R.2930 and S.1791. ACA is the North American trade association of angel groups and private investors that invest in high growth, early‐stage ventures. ACA membership includes more than 160 angel groups and 20 affiliate organizations across North America. ACA member angel groups represent more than 7,000 accredited investors. Our focus is on professional development for accredited investors active in supporting some of the nation’s highest growth startups.
ACA’s leadership has reviewed the legislation and supports the general concept of crowdfunding because it is important support growth in current economic times and ensure laws and regulations that are in step with modern social networking. The legislation has greatly improved since it was first introduced, reducing initial concerns about fraud and interference with sophisticated angel investing.

ACA’s Board adopted the following statement on December 2nd:

Crowdfunding legislation is needed. Given the fall in net worth from decreased home values, entrepreneurs are much less able to self‐finance the earliest development of their companies. Likewise, obtaining financing from friends and family has become more difficult.

“Friends and Family” financing is often critical in getting startup companies off the ground. Crowdfunding helps fill this “Friends and Family” gap. If crowdfunding helps get more companies started, that is a good thing and a welcome change.

Angel groups (and individual angels) are the next stage of financing and it is important to ensure that entrepreneurs have access to robust angel capital. These types of accredited investors are also important to entrepreneurs for their mentoring and advice, as well as to structuring investments for better opportunities for long‐term growth.

We strongly support the efforts of Sen. Mark Pryor and Sen. Scott Brown to enact an Angel Tax Credit (S.256) that will complement the crowdfunding legislation so that the most promising companies can grow beyond the crowdfunding stage. This is good and sensible policy.

We remain concerned about the potential for fraud in this kind of financing and believe it is important to protect unaccredited investors from unscrupulous issuers. It will be important to have a mechanism for due diligence on the investment opportunities, as it is clear that due diligence is important to mitigating investment risk. Academic studies of angel investing found that 52 percent of all the investment deals went out of business. Crowdfunding is likely to have even more associated risk.

Angel groups and serious angel investors are important to high growth entrepreneurial ventures to Congress and the startup community. Crowdfunding may help many small startups, but active accredited angels are needed to get to the kind of growth that Washington intends.
Dan Rosen, Chair of Public Policy, ACA
Marianne Hudson, Executive Director, ACA
Angel Capital Association www.angelcapitalassociation.org 913‐894‐4700

Cleantech Open Announces Winners of
2011 National Business Competition and Global Ideas Competition

The Grand Prize of $250,000 goes to Atmosphere Recovery, which makes laser-based gas analyzer systems for efficient manufacturing and advanced energy process control. Runners up in the National Business Competition are Indow Windows and PK Clean. Energy Hub and Power Assure win 2011 Alumni Awards, with Indow Windows also winning the 2011 National Sustainability Award. Biofiltro of Chile wins the Cleantech Open 2011 Global Ideas Competition.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., November 17, 2011 — The Cleantech Open is pleased to publish the complete list of winners that were announced at the Cleantech Open 2011 Global Forum last night. The “Academy Awards of Clean Technology” marked the grand finale of the Cleantech Open’s yearlong National Business Competition, as well as the culmination of the Cleantech Open Global Ideas Competition. 1,000 enthusiasts and experts, including contestants, alumni teams from previous years, mentors, venture capitalists, and sponsors attended the two-day festival of cleantech innovation and entrepreneurship.

2011 was another year of tremendous growth for the Cleantech Open, which now operates in six regions across the United States. Since the inception of the Cleantech Open six years ago, 593 companies have completed the non-profit organization’s entrepreneurship programs in the United States alone. Collectively, these companies have so far raised more than $500 million in funding.

“Congratulations to the 2011 winners and finalists, which represent the best in early-stage cleantech innovation and viable solutions to some of the world’s toughest challenges,” said Rex Northen, executive director of the Cleantech Open. “I would also like to express my sincere thanks to our sponsors, who make the Cleantech Open possible, as well as the tireless volunteers around the world who power the world’s largest cleantech accelerator.”

“Partnering with the Cleantech Open allows Chevron to identify and foster emerging technologies that improve the way the world produces and uses energy,” said Jim Davis, president of Chevron Energy Solutions. “As we mentor and support entrepreneurs, we can also develop new, valuable solutions for our customers.”

Note to editors: the Global Forum program guide provides descriptions of each team and can be downloaded here.

2011 National Grand Prize Winner

The National Grand Prize winner, which was selected from the five category winners of the prestigious Cleantech Open Business Competition, was awarded to Atmosphere Recovery, the winner of the Renewable Energy category, which makes unique, laser-based gas analyzer systems for efficient manufacturing and advanced energy process control. Two runners-up were also announced: Indow Windows and PK Clean.

The other four finalists, each of which was judged the winner of its respective category, were:

Air-Water-Waste — PK Clean, which converts the most painful form of waste into the most useful type of energy through a catalytic depolymerization process.

Energy Efficiency — Indow Windows, which manufactures thermal window inserts that press into place on the inside of a window frame to deliver double-pane window performance at a fraction of the price.

Green Building — Whole Trees Structures, which manufactures structural building systems made from round timber, the waste product of sustainably managed forests.

Smart Power — GridMobility, whose Color of the Electron™ signal technology enables business, industry, and consumers to choose electricity sources based on their personal preferences.

2011 Alumni Award winner

Each year, the 2011 Alumni Award recognizes Cleantech Open alumni companies that achieved significant momentum during the year. To determine the winners, several factors are assessed, including capital investment raised, jobs created, and technical achievement. This year, the Alumni Award was awarded to two companies: Energy Hub, which raised $14.5M in Series B financing in 2011 and has created 30 jobs; and Power Assure, which this year raised $13.5M in Series B financing and has created 43 jobs.

2011 National Sustainability Award winner

The sustainability of the technologies and ideas of the teams that enter the Cleantech Open is given additional scrutiny by the mentors and judges, and each team receives specific mentoring to ensure this critical attribute is baked into each team’s business plan and investor pitch. This year’s National Sustainability Award goes to Indow Windows for its excellent alignment of business goals with an overall sustainability strategy. Two runner-ups were also named: Dragonfly Solutions and Sanergy.

2011 Cleantech Open Regional Winners

An overall winner for each region was also named, based on an aggregation of points awarded to the regional finalist teams throughout the judging process. Regional winners receive $10,000 in cash and services, which is in addition to the $20,000 in cash and services they were earlier awarded as regional finalists. The 2011 Cleantech Open regional winners are:

For the second year, cleantech innovations from around the world were featured at the Cleantech Open. The Global Cleantech Open Ideas Competition looks to find ‘big ideas’ by working at a grassroots level and to support and foster those ideas by Cleantech Open host organizations worldwide. Orchestrated in conjunction with the Kauffman Foundation and Global Entrepreneurship Week, startups from around the world competed in their countries for national awards; the national winners then faced off at the Global Forum for a prize worth $100,000 in startup services. This year, more than 1,000 applications were submitted in countries around the world, with teams from 23 countries traveling to the Global Forum. Six teams were then selected to present to the audience:

In June 2011, the Cleantech Open selected 120 regional semifinalists from a pool of nearly 300 entries submitted by talented cleantech entrepreneurs in six regions across the United States. From these 120 teams, regional judging panels selected 21 finalist teams, each of which received $20,000 in cash and services, with the overall winner for each region receiving an additional $10,000 in cash and services. All 21 finalist teams and 5 additional regional sustainability finalists then went on to compete at the Global Forum in front of a live judging panel that selected 5 category winners, each of which took home $10,000 in cash and services. Judges then selected the National Grand Prize winner (which receives $250,000 in seed investment and services) from the 5 category winners. A separate panel of judges selected the National Sustainability Prize winner (which receives $10,000 in cash and services).

The Cleantech Open runs the world’s largest cleantech accelerator. Its mission is to find, fund and foster entrepreneurs with big ideas that address today’s most urgent energy, environmental and economic challenges. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, the Cleantech Open provides the infrastructure, expertise and strategic relationships that turn clever ideas into successful global cleantech companies. Since 2006, through its one-of-a-kind annual business competition and mentorship program, the Cleantech Open has enabled 593 clean-technology startups to bring their breakthrough ideas to fruition, helped alumni contestants raise over $500M in external capital, and created thousands of green-collar jobs. Fueled by a global network of more than 1,000 volunteers and sponsors, the Cleantech Open unites the public and private sectors in a shared vision for making America’s and the world’s cleantech sectors a thriving economic engine. For more information, visit www.cleantechopen.org, or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Indow Windows won the Energy Efficiency category Award at the 2011 Cleantech Open Global Forum. This represents the second category winner from the Pacific Northwest at the event. Indow Windows also won the National Sustainability award for their exemplary sustainable business practices. Furthermore, they won the Pacific Northwest Regional award. Indow Windows mass-customizes energy efficient window inserts. Congratulations to these great entrepreneurs and teams!

Washington State’s early stage GridMobility won the “Smart Power” category award at the Cleantech Open 2011 Global forum in San Jose, CA Tuesday evening. GridMobility’s “Renewable Demand Response” software enables power users to time-shift electricity consumption based on current availability of renewable electricity or “green electrons”. Bonneville Power Administration and a WA State utility are currently using the software as well as a number of major companies in commercial, industrial, and electric vehicle markets.

The National Cleantech Open winner across all categories will be announced today, Wednesday.

Brammo announced today that it had secured another $28 million in private funding for its Series B round AND a strategic deal with Polaris Industries who is also investing. With innovative design brains, technology,, market savvy, cash, good investors, and great strategics like Polaris and Flextronics, keep watching what Craig Bramscher (CEO) and his passionate team create out of the lovely Ashland, Oregon area.

“We are excited to advance our electric vehicle capability by establishing Polaris as a business partner and part owner of Brammo, one of the most innovative and aggressive companies I have found in the electric motorcycle space,” said Scott Wine, Polaris CEO. “Our companies share a passion for performance, and I look forward to exploiting the numerous opportunities created by pairing Brammo’s industry-leading electric powertrain technology with Polaris’s vast array of market-leading powersports products. This is a small but important investment for Polaris in an electric vehicle market that we feel is poised for significant growth.”

A Cleantech Open National winner in 2010, Puralytics now becomes a Global Cleantech 100 winner. Congratulations to Mark Owen and his team for their great, water purification innovation! “Puralytics recently exhibited and spoke at the Pacific Northwest Cleantech Open offering inspiration to this year’s semi-finalists,” said Byron McCann, NW Regional Director of the Cleantech Open.

Sunlogics PLC, a vertically integrated global solar energy systems provider specializing in solar project development and installation, recently announced that it has acquired privately-held Phoenix Solar Holdings Corp and its operating subsidiaries, including EPV Solar Germany GmbH and New Millennium Solar Equipment Corp. With the completion of this transaction, Sunlogics now has the ability to manufacture solar panels, using its proprietary technology, in Europe, Asia and North America. The transaction included investments by GLG Partners LP, Tenor Capital, Atlas Investment Fund and Catalyst Investment Management Co LLC. Exact financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but did include Sunlogics receiving a $6 million equity investment.

The acquisition includes the photovoltaic manufacturing facility located in Senftenberg, Brandenburg, Germany. The 55,000 square feet, 30 MW plant entered production in 2008. The Company is in the process of finalizing an existing government grant and once resolved will increase production, staffing levels and project development initiatives. The Company also intends to invest up to $6 million in additional, proprietary manufacturing technology over the next few years. Moreover, the Senftenberg location will serve as the base for projected expansion in Europe. The Company has announced plans to relocate the acquired U.S. panel manufacturing equipment, representing 20MW of production, from New Jersey to Detroit, Michigan and Ontario, Canada.

3rd ANNUAL CLEANTECH OPEN ANNOUNCES FINALISTS TO COMPETE FOR NATIONAL $250,000 PRIZE
From green building to smart grid technology, the 2011 class of semifinalists includes start-up companies from Washington and Oregon

(SEATTLE, WA) – The Pacific Northwest Cleantech Open – a chapter of the world’s largest business competition devoted to finding, funding and fostering successful cleantech businesses – today announced the three finalists to represent the Northwest at the national competition for a chance to win $250,000. The winning companies – Indow Windows, HM3 Energy and GridMobility – were selected from a class of 11 semifinalists which represent some of the most innovative, local start-up companies addressing the critical energy, environment and economic challenges we face today.

“From innovations in green building to energy efficiency, this year’s class of semifinalists exemplifies the high-quality and caliber of entrepreneurship growing in the Northwest,” said Byron McCann, Cleantech Open Regional Director for the Pacific Northwest. “This year’s winners will proudly represent our region at the national competition, and we wish them luck.”

The Pacific Northwest 2011 competition finalists are:

• Indow Windows – (Portland, OR) – builds thermal inserts that press on the inside of a window frame without any nails, screws or adhesives to deliver the performance of double pane windows, at a fraction of the price. With 43 percent of U.S. residences using single pane windows, Indow Window delivers a cost-effective, energy-saving alternative. To learn more: http://www.indowwindows.com.

• HM3 Energy – (Troutdale, OR) – uses proprietary technology to convert biomass into clean fuel to replace coal in coal-fired power plants. Existing power plants can co-fire biomass with coal, or directly use torrefied biomass in place of coal, without any plant modifications and at nearly the cost. To learn more: http://www.hm3e.com.

• GridMobility – (Redmond, WA) – is a smart grid company that enables utilities, power balancing authorities, commercial and residential power customers to significantly increase their consumption of renewable energy and reduce energy costs. Using proprietary technology, GridMobility allows customers to choose their electricity sources and actively manage power consumption. To learn more: http://www.gridmobility.com.

“The Cleantech Open provides access to mentorship, business and financial expertise to help start-ups transform bright, new ideas into successful, profitable companies,” McCann added. “The Northwest has long been an incubator for innovation and there’s an opportunity to add to that legacy by building a strong, regional clean technology industry.”

In just three years, the all-volunteer organization can already point to measurable successes in the Northwest. Last year’s regional finalist, Puralytics, an Oregon-based company pioneering photochemical water purification, won the national championship for the tremendous environmental and social impact of their technology.

The three Pacific Northwest winners will compete with finalists from six other Cleantech Open regions on November 16 at the national awards ceremony in San Jose, CA.

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Cleantech Open Sponsors
The Cleantech Open is made possible by the generous support provided by Global Partner: Chevron; National Sponsors: Autodesk and University of Phoenix; Multi-Regional Sponsors: Wells Fargo and Deloitte. Event sponsors include: Puget Sound Energy, Avista, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati, Lane Powell, Silicon Valley Bank, Stoel Rives, Dorsey & Whitney, and Portland General Electric. Mentor support provided by Aeon Law.

About the Cleantech Open
The Cleantech Open is the world’s largest cleantech business competition. Its mission is to find, fund and foster entrepreneurs with big ideas that address today’s most urgent energy, environmental and economic challenges. The program provides the infrastructure, expertise and strategic relationships to turn clever ideas into successful global cleantech companies. Since 2006, through its one-of-a-kind annual business competition and mentorship program, the Cleantech Open has enabled hundreds of clean technology startups to bring their breakthrough ideas to fruition, helped alumni contestants raise over $280M, and created an estimated 1,200 green collar jobs. Fueled by a network of more than 700 volunteers and sponsors, the Cleantech Open unites the public and private sectors in a shared vision for making America’s cleantech sector a thriving economic engine.